Instant Shakespeare: A Proven Technique for Actors, Directors, and Teachers [Paperback]

Louis Fantasia (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 8, 2003

What do the Dead Sea Scrolls and frog overlays have to do with performing Shakespeare? They're both part of Louis Fantasia's approach in Instant Shakespeare. Mr. Fantasia, the first American to direct at the Shakespeare Globe Centre and a distinguished member of the international theatre community, has developed a pragmatic and uniquely American performance technique. Expanded and refined in performances and workshops throughout the world, Instant Shakespeare allows performers, directors, and teachers of all cultures and levels of experience to demystify Shakespeare and perform his texts in ways that are clear, fresh, and unpretentious. Mr. Fantasia's methods are solidly grounded in a rigorous analysis of the text and structure of Shakespeare's plays, and enriched by his insight into Elizabethan performance practices gleaned from his intimate association with the reconstruction of the Globe. Through Instant Shakespeare, novices and professionals alike achieve the textual clarity, nuanced characters, and dynamic actions that drive the most vigorous Shakespearean performances. Mr. Fantasia's respectful but irreverent approach pinpoints the shortcomings of contemporary Shakespeare practice and training, particularly generic and postmodern interpretations, and confronts theatre artists with the importance of conscious personal responsibility for the creative process. Employing analogies from music and architecture, he insists upon the hard and sometimes tedious work that necessarily underlies solid artistic choices. Mr. Fantasia shows how to understand Shakespeare's vocabulary as well as the structure and essential dramatic event of each play. He provides exercise monologues, exercise scenes, and tools for textual analysis; explains correct breathing; and lays out his philosophies of training and performance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Persuasive and interesting. (Michael York )

Accessible to novices…and refreshing for veterans who enjoy viewing familiar matter from a novel perspective. (Choice )

It is difficult to recall the last book that offered as much. (Foreword )

This is a great book! Louis Fantasia makes Shakespeare (and all performing) as easy as Antony, Beatrice, Cleopatra! (Joan Van Ark )

Louis Fantasia's lively guide is a manifesto of liberation for Shakespeare fans. (Camille Paglia )

Louis Fantasia knows his Shakespeare, and knows how to make Shakespeare come alive in the theatre. (Anthony B. Dawson )

The best that can be said for this book is, 'Try it'.... THIS BOOK WORKS! (Shakespeare Newsletter )

Engaging and useful...particularly valuable to teachers. (Shakespeare Magazine )

About the Author

Louis Fantasia is the director of the Shakespeare Globe Centre's Teaching Shakespeare Through Performance Institute. For ten years he directed the Globe's acting and directing workshop in London, and he has mounted productions at a variety of international festivals and at theatres in England, Europe, Japan, Australia, and across the United States. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (March 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566635039
• ISBN-13: 978-1566635035
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,731 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Instant Shakespeare, July 14, 2007

By 

Brent Smiley "Smiley" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Instant Shakespeare: A Proven Technique for Actors, Directors, and Teachers (Paperback)

If you are looking for a good way to present Shakespeare to students where they can understand what the Bard meant to do in his plays, you can't go wrong.

Highly recommended for teachers, also for anyone trying to digest nuances in Shakespeare's work

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tested technique for actors, directors and teachers, June 3, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Instant Shakespeare: A Proven Technique for Actors, Directors, and Teachers (Hardcover)

Instant Shakespeare provides a tested technique for actors, directors and teachers of Shakespeare's plays, allowing performers from all cultures and levels of experience to perform his places with a fresh new attention to detail. From an analysis of the problems involved in the usual interpretation and training of Shakespearean actors to a solid understanding of his vocabulary and play structure, this is an excellent literary guide.